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ABS 41020 Housing Mobility 2010
ABS 41020 Housing Mobility 2010
Moving house
www.abs.gov.au/socialtrends
Moving house
People move house for a number of reasons. For many, moving is associated with moving to a bigger or better house, purchasing a new home, taking up new educational or work opportunities, moving in with a partner, or having a lifestyle change such as gaining greater independence. For others, moving may be associated with relationship breakdown, family conflict or being given notice by their landlord. For some people, affordability issues may mean that moving house may not always be a viable option when desired.
This article explores the rates and reasons behind housing mobility across the life course, as well as barriers to housing mobility. It focuses primarily on recent movers, that is people who have changed address in the last five years.
through life transitions that may be related to mobility such as transitions from education to employment, out of (and potentially back into) the parental home, and into or out of live in relationships. People reaching their 30s and moving into older age groups, may find they have housing or family reasons that make it more difficult to move, such as a family, a long-term career or children in education. Moving at older ages may be due to illness or disability, the death of a spouse, or reflect a desire to downsize after children have moved out. This article will look at four typical household groups that represent different living arrangements across the life course and the mobility experiences in these life course stages.
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Mobility in the last five years(a), by selected life course groups 200708
Young households without children Parents in couple families with dependent children Lone parents with dependent children Older households without children 0 20
Total mov ed(b) Mov ed at least tw ice Mov ed at least three times
40 %
60
80
100
(a) People aged 15 years and over. (b) Includes people who moved in the last five years but didn't know how many times they had moved. Source: ABS 200708 Survey of Income and Housing
children only, those whose eldest child was under five years were more likely to have moved (72%) than those whose eldest child was aged 514 years (46%) or 1524 years (29% moved). The higher mobility rates of those with younger children may be associated with moving into accommodation suitable for a family. The lower mobility rates of those with older dependent children could be related to the more stable/established careers and housing circumstances of these parents, and their desire not to disrupt their children's education. Almost two-thirds (63%) of parents in couple families with dependent children who were recent movers reported housing reasons for the latest move, with 30% citing a desire for a bigger/better home and 22% saying they moved because they had purchased their own dwelling. Around three-quarters (76%) of parents in couple families with dependent children were owners with or without a mortgage and 19% were private renters.
Recent movers aged 1524 years living in young households were just as likely to have cited family reasons (42%), such as partnering or being independent, as they were to cite housing reasons (37%) for their latest move. In comparison, people aged 2534 years were more likely to cite housing reasons (53%) than family reasons (30%) for their latest move. In 200708, people in young households were most likely private renters (53%) or owners with a mortgage (39%). The flexible tenures of private renters, relative to other tenure types, would allow for, but not necessarily be the cause of, the high mobility of people in this life course group.
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Mobility by tenure
Housing mobility varies greatly across different housing tenures. As people move through their life course, different circumstances or decisions may lead them into or out of certain housing tenures. In 200708, people renting privately were very mobile, with the vast majority having moved at least once in the last five years (87%). Of the four life course groups examined in this article, people living in young households without dependent children (53%) were the most likely to be private renters, followed by lone parents with dependent children (42%). Public renters (i.e. people renting their home from a state or territory housing authority) were less likely than the general population to report being a recent mover (37% compared with 43%). Most (64%) of those renting public housing who were recent movers were people who had made the transition to renting public housing. Renting public housing was more common among lone parents with dependent children (15%) and among those in older households (5%) than in the general population aged 15 years or older (3%). Less than one-third (29%) of people who owned their home were recent movers. There was a large difference in mobility between those who owned their home outright (15%) and those with a mortgage (42%). Of the four life course groups examined in this article, parents in couple families with dependent children were most likely to be owners with a mortgage (59%), while people in older households without children were likely to be owners without a mortgage (80%).
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution ** estimate has a relative standard error of greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use (a) All reasons for latest move for people aged 15 years and over who had moved in the last five years. (b) Not all housing or family reasons are displayed in the table, but are included in totals. (c) 'Other' comprises neighbourhood reasons, health reasons, accessibility reasons and other reasons. (d) Proportions may add up to more than 100% as respondents could provide more than one reason for their last move. Source: ABS 200708 Survey of Income and Housing
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barriers to moving
In 200708, among people who wanted to move in the next 12 months, but were unlikely to do so, 72% indicated that they could not afford to buy a new dwelling, or afford the costs associated with moving, while 14% said that moving was too much effort.
Conclusion
Nationally, around two in five (43%) people aged 15 years and over were recent movers in 200708. However, some groups were more mobile, including people in young households without children (90%), parents in couple families with dependent children only where their eldest child was under five years (72%) and lone parents with dependent children (59%). People in young households without children are more likely than people in other selected life course groups to cite forming relationships as the reason for making a move. Lone parents with dependent children are more likely than others to cite relationship breakdown. People in older households are more likely than others to cite lifestyle change. However, across each of the life course groups, housing reasons, such as a desire for a bigger or better home, or a recent dwelling purchase, were generally the most common reasons for moving. The financial costs of moving, or the costs of purchasing a new home can influence the mobility of some. For the small proportion of people who had a desire to move in the next 12 months, but considered it unlikely to happen, financial reasons were the most commonly reported barrier.
(a) Could rely on a neighbour for support in a time of crisis. Source: ABS 2006 General Social Survey
years, almost a quarter (23%) cited wanting a smaller home or to downsize as a reason for their latest move. Similar proportions reported family reasons (22%), lifestyle change (20%) and/or other reasons (23% - mostly health or neighbourhood reasons).
Endnotes
1 Wilkins, R., Warren, D. and Hahn, M., 2009, 'How often do people move house?' In Families, Incomes and Jobs, Volume 4: A Statistical Report on Waves 1 to 6 of the HILDA Survey, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, pp. 140144. <www.melbourneinstitute.com> Based on the 2006 SEIFA Index of relative socio-economic disadvantage at the Collection District level.
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